stood out to me. I actually saw that this ad was written for a local power energy company but it made me think of personal choices for many other areas in life.
This blog deals with speech and language services so I will tie this statement "the power of choice" with parents, teachers and therapists. Each of us may be the first line of defense for bettering a child's life and refer particular help that a child may need at a critical moment.
1. Parents have "the power of choice" for their child's therapy service. They can refer their child for an evaluation at any time they feel their child isn't keeping up and see if the child qualifies for free school speech and language services. They then can seek out other additional private therapy if they wish. Research shows that early intervention is the way to go. Of course, It's never too late to get help. ASHA Developmental Norms, Milestones from Michigan University, Speech Sound Disorder Chart
2. Teachers see many children so they have a good idea what skills are being met or not. They may be the first to refer a child for testing too. Most schools have a tier method where the teachers will try a few extra supports to see if the child responds to the support or will need more direct intervention.
Milestones ProEd
3. Therapists have an obligation to refer parents/clients to more testing if they observe deficits or referral to other professionals (not in their scope of practice) as needed. This may save a child's life literally. I've only referred parents to specialists when three out of three questions confirmed a need to refer them. In every instant it was needed. Pediatric referrals for speech
